GMAT Exam Structure

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GMAT EXAM STRUCTURE

Sequence of Exam Sections The two AWA sections are administered consecutively and always before the Quantitative and Verbal sections of the exam. However, the two AWA sections may appear in either order. Here's how the two AWA sections fit into the overall format of the GMAT CAT: CAT System Tutorial, Practice, and Demonstration of Competence Analytical Writing Assessment (60 minutes) Analysis of an Issue (30 minutes, 1 topic)* Analysis of an Argument (30 minutes, 1 topic)* 10-minute break (optional) Quantitative Section (75 minutes)** Problem Solving (23–24 questions) Data Sufficiency (13–14 questions) Total number of questions: 37 (28 scored, 9 unscored***) 10-minute break (optional) Verbal Section (75 minutes)** Sentence Correction (14–15 questions) Critical Reasoning (14–15 questions) Reading Comprehension (4 passages, 12–14 questions) Total number of questions: 41 (30 scored, 11 unscored***) TOTAL TESTING TIME: 3 hours, 20 minutes * The two AWA sections may appear in either order on the exam. ** The Quantitative and Verbal sections may appear in either order, and the different types of questions included within each section are interspersed. *** Either 9 Quantitative and 11 Verbal questions or 10 from each section are unscored—totaling 20 unscored questions on the exam altogether.

The Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) is a standardized assessment— delivered in English—that helps business schools assess the qualifications of applicants for advanced study in business and management. Schools use the test as one predictor of academic performance in an MBA program or in other graduate management programs. What the GMAT® Test Measures The GMAT® exam measures basic verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills that you have developed in your education and work. It does NOT measure: • your knowledge of business, • your job skills, • specific content in your undergraduate or first university course work, • your abilities in any other specific subject area, or • subjective qualities—such as motivation, creativity, and interpersonal skills.

Format and Timing The GMAT exam consists of three main parts, the Analytical Writing Assessment, the Quantitative section, and the Verbal section. You have three and a half hours in which to take the GMAT exam, but plan for a total time of approximately four hours. Analytical Writing Assessment The GMAT exam begins with the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). The AWA consists of two separate writing tasks—Analysis of an Issue and Analysis of an Argument. You are allowed 30 minutes to complete each one. Quantitative Section Following an optional break, you then begin with the Quantitative Section of the GMAT exam. This section contains 37 multiple-choice questions of two question types—Data Sufficiency and Problem Solving. You are allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the entire section. Verbal Section After completion of the Quantitative Section (following an optional break), you begin the Verbal Section of the GMAT exam. This section contains 41 multiple choice questions of three question types—Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction. You are allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the entire section. Computer-Adaptive Format Each of the first two sections consists of an analytical writing task; the remaining two sections (Quantitative and Verbal) consist of multiple-choice questions delivered in a computer-adaptive format. Questions in these sections are dynamically selected as you take

the test; the multiple-choice questions will adjust to your ability level, and your test will be unique. How does it work? For each multiple-choice section of the GMAT exam, there is a large pool of potential questions ranging from a low to high level of difficulty. Each section of the test starts with a question of moderate difficulty. If you answer the first question correctly, the computer will usually give you a harder question. If you answer the first question incorrectly, your next question will be easier. This process will continue until you complete the section, at which point the computer will have an accurate assessment of your ability level in that subject area. In a computer-adaptive test, only one question at a time is presented. Because the computer scores each question before selecting the next one, you may not skip, return to, or change your responses to previous questions. What If I make a mistake or guess? If you answer a question incorrectly by mistake or correctly by randomly guessing, your answers to subsequent questions will lead you back to questions that are at the appropriate level of difficulty for you. Random guessing can significantly lower your scores. So, if you do not know the answer to a question, you should try to eliminate as many answer choices as possible and then select the answer you think is best. For more testing strategies, see Test-Taking Strategies. What if I do not finish? Pacing is critical, as there is a severe penalty for not completing. Both the time and number of questions that remain in the section are displayed on the screen during the exam. There are 37 Quantitative questions and 41 Verbal questions. If a question is too time-consuming or if you don’t know the answer, make an educated guess by first eliminating the answers you know to be wrong. How is my score determined? Your score is determined by: the number of questions you answer, whether you answer the questions correctly or incorrectly, and the level of difficulty and other statistical characteristics of each question. The questions in an adaptive test are weighted according to their difficulty and other statistical properties, not according to their position in the test. Are all questions counted? Every test contains trial multiple-choice questions being pretested for use in a real exam. These questions are not identified and appear in different locations within the test. You should, therefore, do your best on all questions. Answers to trial questions are not counted in the scoring of your test.

Which full-length CATS to practice? Powerprep (2test—Free) GMATPrep (2Test—Free) MGMAT (6Test—Obtained free when you buy any book or buy direct for $30. 1Test free on their site) PrincetonReview Diagnostic (Free on their site) The GMAC recently released something called the GMATFocus which is a set of paper-tests. Again up to you if you want to use this material. There is also a ton of other CATs out there depending on whether you have the moolah to spend Kaplan (1 Free on their site. Scoring is a little off) Knewton (1Free on their site. Some have said it is a little too easy, which is surprising considering they claim the same people who created the GMAT are the ones who created Knewton’s tests) 800Score.com (Not enough info) GMATClub.com (Paper-based, 25Q and 6V, Quant is reputed to be tough) There’s also been a couple of new web-based players in the test-prep arena—Grockit.com has a free plan and is interesting. Magoosh.com also has a free plan though I haven’t signed-up/used it yet.

What does my B-School Application Consist of?/What else do i have to submit at the time of sending my score?? Sending your score to the school of your choice is only 1 part of the entire application. Broadly speaking, there are 3parts to your application 1. GMAT (and TOEFL if required) 2. Writing Essays, getting Recommendations and submitting to each school alongwith your GMAT score 3. If called for, Interview and hopefully get admitted. Understand that submitting your GMAT score is not enough. You still have to send the school an application. Each application consists of the answers to the essays asked by the schools, as well as recommendations from your superiors and an application fee(usually in excess of $150) You also have to send attested and sealed transcripts so make sure you have enough time to gather all documents. Colleges do not consider an application “complete” until you have submitted all documents. Some colleges will accept scanned copies to make a faster decision but you will still be required to submit original copies.

GMAT practice tests
Last updated: 13 Oct 2008

Practising with timed tests is an essential part of your preparation for the GMAT. This guide will advise you where you can find the best practice tests and how to get the most out of them as you study.

Free GMAT practice tests
There are plenty of high quality free GMAT practice tests available on the web. GMATPrep Test-Preparation Software from Mba.com These are the official practice tests and mimic exactly the look and feel of the real tests. They are essential to anyone preparing for the GMAT. You can take up to two tests using the program (set aside 4 hours for each) and they include an (unscored) practice at answering the analytical writing assessment questions. There are also 5 sets of 15 practice questions with explanations which you will find useful in your study for the tests. Princeton Review's online GMAT practice test You will have to register, for free, with Princeton Review to take the test. Kaplan's online GMAT practice test Getting scoring algorithms for practice tests is hard and so you should take the score you receive on the Kaplan test with a pinch of salt. Kaplan has a reputation for making it's tests slightly harder than the real GMAT, particularly in the math section, and so you may score anything from 0-50 points higher in the real GMAT. You will have to register, for free, with Kaplan to take the test.

GMAT Score's online GMAT practice test You get a free online practice test in return for providing GMAT score with your email address. The questions are reasonably good. I haven't taken the test enough times to get a good sense of how good the scoring algorithm is. Your feedback would be welcomed on this. The test includes an AWA section but you cannot access your answers to this at the end of the test so if you wnat to review your essays then take a copy of before you submit your answer. Manhattan GMAT's practice test You will have to register, for free, with Manhattan GMAT to take the test.

When should you take practice tests?
Practice tests will give you a real understanding of the time pressure that the GMAT puts you under and the concentration required to perform well on the questions. They will also ensure that you are familiar with the format of the test. Finally they should give you an indication of what you are likely to score when you take the real GMAT. However taking a practice GMAT test is time consuming with a typical test taking you 3 to 4 hours. This is precious study time that you could be using to improve any areas of weakness you have on the test. Also there are only a limited number of good practice tests available to take (without costing you lots of money). We recommend you take 3 to 4 practice tests as part of your preparation for the GMAT.

A diagnostic test
Your first practice GMAT test should be right at the beginning of your study. This should be treated as a diagnostic test. The results of this test will show you where your strengths and weaknesses are for the GMAT. It will also give you an indication of how close you are to the score that you need for the MBA program that you plan to apply for.

We recommend Kaplan's full length online practice test for your diagnostic test. It covers the quantitative and verbal sections of the test and you should set aside a little over 3 hours to complete it. At the end it will give you your score and highlight which types of questions have given you the most problems. You can also review the questions and are provided explanations of how to find the right answer.

Practice tests
In the second half of your planned study for the GMAT we recommend you take 1 or 2 practice tests. These can be used to identify your remaining weaknesses on the test and boost your confidence by showing you how far you have progressed. We recommend the GMATPrep Test-Preparation Software tests for this practice because they are exactly the same as the real tests and the scores they provide are a very good indicator of how you will perform in the real test.

Final review
Once you have completed your planned study you should take one final practice test. This will be the best indicator of the final score you are likely to achieve and should enable you to decide whether you need further study or if you are ready to take the test. You should save the second GMATPrep Test-Preparationpractice test (see above) for this purpose. Good luck.

Tests Link:
http://gmatclub.com/forum/all-gmat-cat-practice-tests-links-prices-reviews77460.html

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